What will I replace my aging 04JettaGLS TDI with?

I've had my Jetta TDI for 9 years, loved it for the 40+ MPG and the fun factor. Now it has over 200,000 miles and has been rebuilt bit by bit. I know it won't last forever, and it hasn't been cheap to maintain. Trying to decide on the next car.
I'm looking for something $10-15,000; 2-3 years old; low miles. Prefer Standard. I'd never buy new; other vehicles I'm considering: Camry, Acura, Corolla, Civic... None of which have matched the Jetta for mileage AND driving experience. Would appreciate any insights! Thanks to all.

All those are solid choices. I would also look at Subaru offerings and Hyundai too. Subaru makes fantastic vehicles but they are quite pricey.
Hyundai has really come around in the last 15 years, they offer very solid value in their cars. And to be honest, I would consider them over a Nissan or Mazda any day of the week.

I have owned all of the cars you mentioned. They are all good choices and depend largely on what you can put up with for road noise, choppy ride, etc.

If you need or want AWD, Subaru is the best choice. They have a history of headgasket issues in the past, and now timing chain and headgasket issues.

Hyundai has made great strides in the past years but their cars do not seem to age well in paint, interior,and mechanical issues. They were an excellent buy when they were cheap. Now that they cost as much as a Toyota or Honda, why settle for imitations?

Nissan is hard to work on, Mazda is too Ford. I don't want to even mention other non-german cars.

I tell my customers that if they want a good reliable car that will get them down the road with few troubles, make sure it says Honda or Toyota on it. They might be boring or noisy, but quite reliable as a whole.

Of those two I prefer Toyota due to road noise and comfort. They are noticeably quieter than a comparable Honda, but both have long lives.

My wife's car is a Lexus (Toyota) ES330. It is comfy and quiet and good to drive on long trips. It requires premium fuel and gets 28 mpg on the road. Very nice car but I prefer my Jetta for mileage and feel.

If I were you, and you were happy with your last TDI, I would look for a low mile newer version. I think the mk5 body style is the best build quality of them all. The later ones are fine too, but I think they did a very good job on the 5, based on my experiences and polling other owners that I encounter.

You already have a low mileage TDI. To me a TDI is unique,. and the cars you are considering are common.

With your budget, I think you could get into a new 1.4L Jetta S with a manual transmission. Seems well-reviewed.

A number of us, myself included are considering getting a subaru with the FB25 timing chain engine. Can you elaborate what you have seen in terms of the timing chain problems? I havent seen any yet.

pdq import repair said:

I have owned all of the cars you mentioned. They are all good choices and depend largely on what you can put up with for road noise, choppy ride, etc.
If you need or want AWD, Subaru is the best choice. They have a history of headgasket issues in the past, and now timing chain and headgasket issues.
Hyundai has made great strides in the past years but their cars do not seem to age well in paint, interior,and mechanical issues. They were an excellent buy when they were cheap. Now that they cost as much as a Toyota or Honda, why settle for imitations?
Nissan is hard to work on, Mazda is too Ford. I don't want to even mention other non-german cars.
I tell my customers that if they want a good reliable car that will get them down the road with few troubles, make sure it says Honda or Toyota on it. They might be boring or noisy, but quite reliable as a whole.
Of those two I prefer Toyota due to road noise and comfort. They are noticeably quieter than a comparable Honda, but both have long lives.
My wife's car is a Lexus (Toyota) ES330. It is comfy and quiet and good to drive on long trips. It requires premium fuel and gets 28 mpg on the road. Very nice car but I prefer my Jetta for mileage and feel.
If I were you, and you were happy with your last TDI, I would look for a low mile newer version. I think the mk5 body style is the best build quality of them all. The later ones are fine too, but I think they did a very good job on the 5, based on my experiences and polling other owners that I encounter.

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kcunniff said:

With your budget, I think you could get into a new 1.4L Jetta S with a manual transmission. Seems well-reviewed.

Click to expand...

yes,

and for a few dollars more he can get a 2017 Golf

I am in the same boat, slightly older, but it was cheaper to maintain, although now its age is catching up, not in milage, but in component repair after sitting more than driving. (2k2 jetta tdi etc).

Looking at a vw golf 2017 model, but in NH finding a 5MT is like finding needles in haystacks unless I want to wait months for an order from the factory. I could goto MA, but thats a hike *sigh*

I wonder if the Golf Gas model is as decent to drive as my TDI, and easier to get the S model, but the wolfsberg edition seems to have a few nice to haves...

The Cruze 2017(8) diesel model interests me, but waiting does not.

Bought my 05 new in 04, waiting for something reasonable to be available (Cruze diesel hatch 6 spd would work, but who knows when / if they will sell those in any quantity), I'm generally tremendously disappointed by the cars manufactured today. Mostly CVT based small SUVs that are zero fun to drive. I may have to wait for electric to get cheap enough (Bolt in 3 or 4 years?).

Meanwhile all my door locks are failing, not really looking forward to taking every door apart to fix it...

Diesel Bimmer or Eco Diesel Chrysler

I am in same situation. I have 350k on my ALH wagon. I love that little stinker.
I am eyeing the newer BMW diesels owners with mild tunes & bolt ons/deletes are getting darn good mpg and serious power.

I just exchanged messages with Old Navy about his eco diesel ram. Everyone I know that has one really likes it. I have an '11 hemi ram now, solid truck, terrible mpg for daily driver duties.
Many report eco rame owners honestly getting 27-28 mpg out of their 4x4 4 door eco diesel ram. I talked to one guy that commutes over 40 miles hwy each way. He told me 27-28mpg at 72 mph. I kinda didn't believe him but asking around, yeah it's true. Will be my next truck and possible daily driver.
If they release that eco diesel in wrangler and/or wrangler pickup those would be some great daily drivers as well. That little wrangler would be capable of some mid 30s at reasonable speeds and easy parking in city situations. And it's a jeep so it can handle inclement weather. And still retains some personality. Since the wrangler has a MASSIVE enthusiast crowd, it wont be long before how to's on every possible thing are posted up and every possible issue has multiple diys on how to fix or prevent.
Most owners will daily drive them with lifts and big tires destroying a lot of gas mileage even though it's a 95% pavement queen like they do now...but hey it's their ride, good for them.

I like the Golf GTI ..... nice car. I have an '04 Golf TDI - just passed $300K km's (180K miles) ..... still runs great - coming up to my 2nd timing belt. The Golf GTI is on my radar .... I want something exciting and a drivers car not an appliance like Toyota !!!

I could afford to be looking in the BMW 335D or the D3...

RWD, 40mpg, and fast
The perfect car!